A different outlook on this weekend's tournament
Barring a big breakfast or traffic jam that slows down all of the Bay Area, this weekend's Axis Gaming "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" tournament should set the new Brawl record for attendance.
The record right now is the U.C.L.A Monthly VI tournament held this past May, which had 192 attendants. No other Brawl tournament in the nation has come close.
If you think you're walking into something special this weekend, chances are, you're probably correct. Look at some of the attendance records in the post-Tournament Go era (2004) in the United States.
EVO World Championships 2007: 270
MELEE-FC Diamond: 256
Pound 3: 233
The OC3: 218
MLG New York (Playoffs): 204
MELEE-FC 6: 202
Pound 2: 200
Super Champ Combo: 200
All of those were for Melee.
As of Friday afternoon, 211 players have signed up to participate in the tournament through All is Brawl.
This brings up something I have talked about to friends and other competitors, and it is something the community should think about.
Smash needs a "World Series," a "Super Bowl," a gold-medal game. To put it in another way, Smash needs one -- and only one -- event to go after. The community can keep having their U.C.L.A's, their Critical Hits. But that has to lead to something.
Other games have that. If you play "Madden," you play small regionals but the big event is the Madden Challenge. If you play any fighting game, it is the Evolution Fighting Game Championships. For "Halo" players, it's Major League Gaming's national championship.
If you play any of those games, there's always a top of the mountain, something to shoot for. There's a journey, which may take one year, three years or even 10 years. But there's a final destination.
For Smash players, what is that annual final destination (and I'm not talking about the stage)? Is it MELEE-FC? It could be, but it didn't happen this year. Is it Midnight Gaming? They had a finals tournament last year, but not this year. What about EVO? The community said no to this year's tournament.
That's why this weekend's event in Emeryville has a low-lying meaning other than it having the biggest payout.
It sends a message to major tournament organizers and major leagues (known and still growing) that the Smash community needs an event to go after. It needs a Super Bowl. If 200 players (and I believe it could be 300) go to Emeryville, imagine if a major organization picks up the game and holds a major event or a series of events leading up to a championship final.
Or, maybe the community lets Axis Gaming conduct an annual major event. If their tournament goes well, it is possible.
The Smash community can't keep having small regional events. They have to use those as a catalyst for something bigger. Other games have that, and it's time the Smash community joins in the party.
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The record right now is the U.C.L.A Monthly VI tournament held this past May, which had 192 attendants. No other Brawl tournament in the nation has come close.
If you think you're walking into something special this weekend, chances are, you're probably correct. Look at some of the attendance records in the post-Tournament Go era (2004) in the United States.
EVO World Championships 2007: 270
MELEE-FC Diamond: 256
Pound 3: 233
The OC3: 218
MLG New York (Playoffs): 204
MELEE-FC 6: 202
Pound 2: 200
Super Champ Combo: 200
All of those were for Melee.
As of Friday afternoon, 211 players have signed up to participate in the tournament through All is Brawl.
This brings up something I have talked about to friends and other competitors, and it is something the community should think about.
Smash needs a "World Series," a "Super Bowl," a gold-medal game. To put it in another way, Smash needs one -- and only one -- event to go after. The community can keep having their U.C.L.A's, their Critical Hits. But that has to lead to something.
Other games have that. If you play "Madden," you play small regionals but the big event is the Madden Challenge. If you play any fighting game, it is the Evolution Fighting Game Championships. For "Halo" players, it's Major League Gaming's national championship.
If you play any of those games, there's always a top of the mountain, something to shoot for. There's a journey, which may take one year, three years or even 10 years. But there's a final destination.
For Smash players, what is that annual final destination (and I'm not talking about the stage)? Is it MELEE-FC? It could be, but it didn't happen this year. Is it Midnight Gaming? They had a finals tournament last year, but not this year. What about EVO? The community said no to this year's tournament.
That's why this weekend's event in Emeryville has a low-lying meaning other than it having the biggest payout.
It sends a message to major tournament organizers and major leagues (known and still growing) that the Smash community needs an event to go after. It needs a Super Bowl. If 200 players (and I believe it could be 300) go to Emeryville, imagine if a major organization picks up the game and holds a major event or a series of events leading up to a championship final.
Or, maybe the community lets Axis Gaming conduct an annual major event. If their tournament goes well, it is possible.
The Smash community can't keep having small regional events. They have to use those as a catalyst for something bigger. Other games have that, and it's time the Smash community joins in the party.
|
Labels: super smash bros brawl, tournament experiences
This entry was posted
on Thursday, August 28, 2008 at 8/28/2008 12:49:00 PM.
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